Abstract

The article selectively reviews (and criticizes) some important analyses by foreign political scientists that have given certain portraits of the Italian political system and political culture. Those comments are in a number of books, considered here, that have influenced the way Italian politics is seen and evaluated abroad. All those analyses focus on the lack of civic sense and of political culture. Even if Italy is far to be considered an «anomalous democracy», even the most sympathetic commentators cannot help to emphasize the anomalous features of the country's political system.